Although PSG are set to cruise to another Ligue 1 title, they were knocked out of the Champions League Round of 16 for a second straight season. After collapsing against Real Madrid in 2021/22, they were nowhere close to challenging Bayern München, failing to create chances across two clean-sheet defeats to the Bavarian giants.
Clearly, the PSG project isn’t succeeding.
The club was able to hold onto Kylian Mbappé last summer amidst interest from Real Madrid, largely because they hired Luís Campos and Christopher Galtier while promising to build a true project based around a balanced squad to support Mbappé over the long term.
PSG have to get things right in the summer 2023 transfer window, otherwise Mbappé could decide to join Los Blancos.
Here are 10 possible targets for PSG this summer.
Napoli ST Victor Osimhen
Victor Osimhenn has been the second-best striker in European football after Erling Haaland, who is unattainable after moving to Manchester City last summer.
While Osimhen is vital to Napoli’s success and is helping them challenge for the Champions League title this season, it’s possible Napoli could be open to selling him for a significant fee.
A former standout for Lille before becoming one of the world’s best players in Naples, Osimhen would be an ideal fit at the 9 for PSG, allowing Kylian Mbappé to move to his clearly favored position on the left wing.
Osimhen has become a more well-rounded striker in 2022/23, and he is one of the world’s best at creating chances out of nothing. His runs in behind and intelligent movement in the box are unstoppable.
Borussia Mönchengladbach CM Manu Koné
Manu Koné emerged on the radar in 2021/22 as one of the young talents to watch in the Bundesliga, and the Frenchman has only enhanced his reputation with a strong 2022/23 season for the Foals. Now, every big club in Europe wants to sign the talented 21-year-old.
So far this season, Koné is averaging 2.5 fouls drawn and 1.9 dribbles completed per match.
PSG desperately need midfield help. Marco Verratti has faded this season, struggling to do too much after a number of failed additions to a midfield that was already quite sub-standard for a deep Champions League run.
There’s no doubt that Koné would be a long-term upgrade, but his progression and defensive work would also make him a clear immediate upgrade for PSG. Defensively, he is averaging a combined 3.6 tackles and interceptions per game in the Bundesliga.
Bayer Leverkusen RW Moussa Diaby
A former PSG player, Moussa Diaby, like Christopher Nkunku, is one who got away from the Qatar ownership. The club has been criticized heavily for not giving young players a chance, and Nkunku and Diaby are perfect examples of that.
Over the past three seasons, Diaby has consistently improved, becoming a coveted player on the transfer market as one of the world’s best left-footed wingers. Versatile and capable of scoring goals from the wing, Diaby is one of the most lethal players in Europe on the counterattack.
Earlier this season, Bayer Leverkusen were woeful before Xabi Alonso’s appointment. Yet Diaby was still playing well, never giving up on matches. That speaks volumes to the desire and intensity he can bring to PSG, in addition to goals and assists.
Eintracht Frankfurt CB Evan N’Dicka
Yet another Bundesliga player to watch, Evan N’Dicka is an impending free agent with a long list of suitors around European football. The French center back should be on PSG’s radar as a member of the rotation.
While Sergio Ramos has played well, he’s not someone PSG can rely on long-term or week-to-week due to his injury history. Marquinhos is a club legend, but there needs to be more, young depth behind those two and incoming signing Milan Škriniar.
Lyon FW Rayan Cherki
One of the most exciting young players in European football, Rayan Cherki is seen as the future of Ligue 1. The Lyon prospect does not start every match, but that’s because he is only 19.
For the past three years, Lyon have been careful about developing Cherki’s talent. Already on the radar of clubs like Real Madrid, Cherki is a future world-class talent who, in spurts, is already proving to be one of the most talented playmakers in French football.
This season, Cherki has three goals and five assists in under 1,300 minutes, splitting his 27 appearances almost evenly between the Lyon starting XI and bench. He averages 3.7 dribbles completed and 3.6 key passes per 90. Ridiculous.
PSG have been linked to an approach to take Cherki away from Lyon. They already tried to sign him this winter, with Lyon publicly blasting their rivals for an offer they deemed “insulting”.
Borussia Mönchengladbach CF Marcus Thuram
Another impending free agent from the Bundesliga, Marcus Thuram may not be as much of a standout option as Randal Kolo Muani or Victor Osimhen, but he would be much cheaper and is still a top player. Thuram, after all, once shined in the Champions League against Real Madrid, a club that has been a thorn in PSG’s side.
What makes Thuram so good is the fact that he sees the pitch in ways most strikers do not. He is more of a center-forward than a striker, splitting wide, coming deep, and linking with teammates. Mbappé would love playing with someone like Thuram, who goes for the assist more often than he goes for goal.
Eintracht Frankfurt ST Randal Kolo Muani
Likewise, Randal Kolo Muani is another great French striker in the Bundesliga who has a well-rounded game and is blowing fans away with his creation numbers. Kolo Muani is also willing to press, defend, and come deep to win the ball, making him a rare talent up top. Oh, and he has previous Ligue 1 experience.
This season, Kolo Muani has been a breakout superstar in the context of world football. He has 12 goals, 10 assists, 2.4 fouls drawn per game, and 2.3 dribbles completed per match. You won’t find many more talented strikers than Kolo Muani, and, like Thuram, Mbappé and the other forwards would relish working with the 24-year-old.
Monaco CB Axel Disasi
Within Ligue 1, Axel Disasi is making quite the name for himself as a young leader and a top-class center back.
He has been one of the breakout stories of the 2022/23 season. The 25-year-old is so intelligent at reading the game, often intervening to make an interception or stifle a run before ever having to make a tackle.
Offensively, Disasi adds a lot to Monaco, scoring some tremendous goals. He recently chested a corner down before volleying it with venom into the roof of the net. How many players, let alone central defenders, can do that? Disasi has three goals and three assists in Ligue 1 this season. He looks like a special talent.
Nice CM Khéphren Thuram
Staying in the midfield, Khéphren Thuram has become one of the best young midfielders to watch in European football, earning a call-up to the French national team alongside his brother Marcus.
Previously on the radar of top clubs like Real Madrid, Thuram is now squarely on every elite club’s radar and should be earning a big move soon. PSG should be one of the teams at the top of the list clamoring for Thuram, because they could really use an all-action, steely midfielder who has the potential to be world-class.
Vital to Nice, Thuram has two goals and four assists in 2022/23. A capable ball-winner, progressor, and passer, Thuram can bring the energy and quality PSG need in midfield.
Nice CB Jean-Clair Todibo
A former Barcelona man, Jean-Clair Todibo has been one of the young defenders to watch in European football for years. Even in 2019/20 when he played for a luckless Schalke side, Todibo stood out as a special talent, producing world-class tackles and even bits of skill on the ball.
Versatile and capable of playing in the defensive midfield, Todibo has recently matured into a truly great center back for Nice in Ligue 1. If the league received more press, Todibo would be getting more praise.
The 23-year-old is averaging a combined 3.5 tackles and interceptions per game while being one of the best center backs in European football on the ball. PSG should absolutely consider signing Todibo this summer.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.